Improvement in school-desks



UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID GLASS VENABLE, OF OHRISTIANSBURG, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM T. VENABLE, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SCHOOL-DESKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,263, dated March 25, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID GLASS VENA- BLE, of Ohristiansburg, county of Shelby, and State of Kentucky, have invented certain Improvements in School-Desks, of which the following is a specification:

I will premise, generally, that I construct my school desk wholly of wood, with the exception of the screws or nails with which the parts are fastened together, and of such general form that when two or more of them are placed in a school-house for use one desk will furnish seats for two pupils, and another will furnish book-boxes and a table for them to write upon or rest their books or slates upon, while the table braces the desk firmly together.

My invention relates to arranging this permanentpartof the desk-top immediatelyin front of the pupils, and constructing the book-boxesbeyond it and opening toward them so that they can use the boxes without changing their positions in their seats or disturbing their books,

slates, or papers that may be on the table, and to beveling the closing edges of the lids of the boxes and the edge of the table, against which they close when down, so that the sharp slamming noise usually resulting from the closing of lids will be greatly diminished; and

i in order to increase the effect of this improved construction the edges of the lids or of the table, or both, may be lined with cloth or soft rubber.

In the accompanying drawing are shown desks occupying their proper relative positions to each other.

A A are the legs or end pieces supporting thedesk. T is the desk-top; G O, the lids of the book-boxes D D b b, the hinges of the seat B; a a, the hinges of the lids G G; g g, the supports for the seat B.

The journals 1) and a of the seat and lids, respectively, should have diameters in proportion to the hardness and strength of the wood of which they may be constructed, and, by reason of the elasticity of the wood, the hinges may be made to turn with a slight degree of friction, so that when a seat or lid shall be closed down the force of the blow against its surfaces of. support may be somewhat broken, and thus further prevent noise.

Furthermore, by my arrangement of the boxes they are beyond and out of the way of the knees of the pupils, and they are as much as practicable out of the way in sweeping and cleaning the floor under them. The general form of my desk, including the hinging of the seats, are calculated to facilitate this sweeping and cleaning.

What I claim as my invention is- The book-boxes D D, with their beveled lids G O hinged as described, in combination with the desk-top T with its edge beveled as shown, constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.

DAVID GLASS VENABLE.

Witnesses SAM BROWN, J. F. WILOOXSON. 

